Mark Ruffalo reveals why his accidental live-streaming of the Thor: Ragnarok premiere was actually a genius move. Ruffalo, along with Spider-Man star Tom Holland, is one of the main spoilers of Marvel Studios films. Where Holland tends to loosen his lips during press interviews, Mark Ruffalo committed the ultimate sin by live-streaming nearly a quarter of the third Thor movie while attending the movie’s world premiere.
It all unfolded back in 2017, when Ruffalo forgot to end a Facebook Live session with fans before he ducked into the theater. Nearly 2,500 of his followers listened intently as the first 20 minutes of Thor: Ragnarok unfolded on the big screen. The stunt landed Ruffalo in some hot water with his co-stars, Marvel Studios, and its parent company, Disney. In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2018, the actor recalled a frazzled female Disney exec rushing up to him during the screening, saying, “Turn off your phone!… Your phone is on, turn off your phone!”
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the Avengers actor joked about his bad reputation for spoilers after he leaked Thor to “everyone and their mother from all over the world.” Ruffalo also recalled the stressful 24-hour period afterward, where he waited to hear from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. “He was like, ‘What are you doing, man?’” Ruffalo told the show’s host. “I told him, ‘Kevin, it was an accident. I swear to God. They told me to use the Facebook Live, I don’t know how to use it!’ He was like, ‘You can’t do this stuff!’” The following day, the Hulk actor had to see Feige in person to do press for the film. “I walk over to him to say sorry, and he grabs me in a bear hug,” Ruffalo recalled. “And he’s like, ‘That was genius! We got more press from that than the entire premiere! We couldn’t have imagined doing something that good!’” You can see Ruffalo’s retelling of the story below:
Ruffalo’s comments echo a similar story he told about the leak in April 2019. In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, to promote the release of Avengers: Endgame, the star revealed that when he showed up on the set of the fourth Avengers film, an elated Barry Curtis, the director of production security and content protection for Marvel, was waiting. “When I came to work on Monday everyone ran up to me. I thought they were coming to scream at me,” Ruffalo said, “Barry, he threw his arms around me. ‘That was genius! We got more press than we could have possibly paid for!’”
Ruffalo’s Hulk was one of the few original Avengers left standing in the wake of Avengers: Endgame devastating finale. Since then, there’s been no official word when, or if, the Hulk will return. The character is a fan favorite and, despite leaking Thor: Ragnorak to thousands of fans, Ruffalo clearly has a lot of goodwill with everyone over at Marvel, so it seems like a foregone conclusion to assume he’ll be back eventually. Hopefully, the next time he attends the premiere of a Marvel movie, Ruffalo remembers to sign out of any live-streaming apps. Or, better yet, maybe he should just shut his off his phone entirely.
More: Mark Ruffalo Unsure About Hulk’s MCU Future
Source: The Graham Norton Show
